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nautical

Did you know that this classic blue and white striped pattern has a name? As you probably guessed from the title, it’s the Breton stripe, and is summer’s unspoken neutral, especially next to the beach. The original shirt, worn by navy men from Brittany (France) before men from Breton adopted it. Originally, it contained 21 stripes- one for each of Napolean’s victories, but at some point, the French’s military imagination got the better of them and the stripes went haywire. Coco Chanel was instrumental in this diffusion, popularizing the stripe by adding it to her 1917 nautical line.

But I think my favorite reincarnation of this summer staple is Jean Seberg in Godard’s Breathless, which basically makes this post as obnoxious and basic as possible. At this point, I will make my exit.

Isn’t it funny to think that back in the day this is what bathing suits looked like? It’s no wonder people were afraid of getting into the water and drowning! By the time you pick this sopping mess out of the water, most likely, you’re physically spent! But I have to admit, it is super comfy to run around in. I know a lot of people (especially the tall among us) aren’t crazy about rompers (while looking the best in jumpsuits that inevitably coil around my ankles like an unsolicited set of bangles), but I think rompers are the perfect solution to trying to master ease and comfort. They take no thought- like a dress, and at the same time don’t require the constant attention and shall we say poise a dress entails. I can just bungle around wherever I please. 🙂

Get excited theatre lovers! Today is none other than the Tony Awards!! To celebrate the occasion, I had to don something sufficiently zany, but (if I do say so myself) wholeheartedly FABULOUS. Can’t you just see Gloria Swanson walking down a boardwalk adorned as such, tipping her sunglasses and crooking those ominous eyebrows? Or maybe I could belatedly join Anything Goes? I think the closest aesthetic I could fit to anything currently playing would be the King and I, up for a best revival nomination, but it’s quite a stretch (and I’d need to trade in the trousers for a hoop skirt). Ah well, I will have to content myself to watching. For those of you who don’t know, competing for Best Musical are:

An American in Paris: two (coincidentally very good dancers) fall in love in Paris after WW2- think old Gene Kelly

Fun Home- a woman realizes she’s a lesbian at the same time her father struggles with the fact he is gay- based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel)

Something Rotten- two aspiring playwrights try to outdo Shakespeare in the 1590s by writing the first musical- the makers of Avenue Q and Book of Mormon collaborate on this for nothing short of comic hilarity

The Visit- the richest woman in the world returns to her poverty-stricken hometown. What will happen?- based on a Swiss 1956 play of the same name (but in Swiss)

For Best Original score, switch out An American in Paris and add The Last Ship, or Sting’s (you heard me right) new musical currently on Broadway. The musical focuses on a man who returns to the shipyards of his hometown after his father’s death and tries to woo an old flame…

I am very conflicted as to what to vote for. Fun Home is probably the most controversial, and though it addresses issues not covered before of the Great White Way, to me the modern musical scores are kind of hokey. Ring of keys (the song that will be preformed from it tonight) centers around the word “swagger,” which ends up annoying me so much that I can’t listen to it. Telephone Wire is catchier, but uses what seems to me an obvious metaphor that feels stale when it becomes more of a symbol than an object.

I haven’t heard how they’ve redone an American in Paris or anything from The Visit. Something Rotten is very funny but has frequent language (making it, I think, less applicable to universal audiences, even if it is truer to Shakespeare’s usage). Further, as the title promises, a lot of the jokes are “rotten” as in more base toilet humor, which I find boring after a few times, personally. So! I guess I’ll just have to see who wins.

Real talk: Today’s outfit was shamelessly inspired by the wardrobe of the heroine in my new favorite Murder Mysteries Mini-series (scoot over Angela Landsbury). Meet Miss Phryne Fisher of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. There will be more to come on this topic in future posts.

This week the Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando unleashed their new script, formally acknowledging their partnership with their relationship with Turner Classic Movies, or TCM. Though I’ve heard mixed reviews about the extensive contributions of Robert Osbourne that change the Tour Guide dynamics on the ride (and feel WAYS about any changes to the finale film), on the whole I am excited for the Great Movie Ride as it moves into this new iteration of journey. For those of you who know me (or read the bio), you know that after I graduated from college and before I went to law school, I worked as a Tour Guide at the Great Movie Ride for about six months. Besides the requisite handprint on the wall, I don’t think I contributed much to its history, but I do think I can positively say, I had one of the stupidest nicknames given to a movie rider. For over half my time there, multiple people legitimately called me “Boat.”

I wish I was joking. Needless to say, I didn’t choose it for myself (and was actually secretly offended for a little while because I thought the namers had chosen it to make fun of my weight). Finally, I cornered the nickname’s inagurater and made him explain.

At Disney, you have the option to either walk to your area of employment in full costume or in street clothes (and change there). One day, I apparently came in wearing the shorts shown in these pictures, and one of my fellow cast members thought I looked like I should be on a boat. And that was enough.

But while I may have moved on from the nickname, I will always treasure my time at GMR. I hope this new incarnation spurs renewed interest in what can otherwise be considered after-lunch air-conditioned naptime and fosters new generations who love GMR (and just the building itself!) as much as I do. Once a movie rider, always a movie rider.

Since women were historically considered unlucky on a ship, our contributions in maritime archives are too sparse for comfort. Still, regardless of sexist rules, women have made their presence on ships (whether known or unknown). However, few have been so openly lauded as Grace O’Malley, or Gráinne Ní Mháille.

Grace O’Malley was the daughter of an Gaelic chieftain –which might make her a princess, according to Disney– who also happened to be a shipping and trade magnate around the early to mid-1500s. However, “shipping” in the 1500s, looked distinctively less like Fedex, and more like the playground of Jack Sparrow. People who wanted to fish anywhere off the clan’s castle-laden coast had to pay a surcharge. After her father’s death, she took over the family business and became the leader of the Ó Máille clan, whose lands spread over what is now County Mayo.

According to lore, Grace always wanted to sail on her father’s ships, but he wouldn’t let her. One popular retelling has her father refusing because “her hair would get caught in the ropes.” In response, Grace cut off her hair, earning her the nickname Gráinne Mhaol, or bald Grace. From what I’ve read about her, not much is known, except that she pretty much did what she wanted. She was powerful and passionate, and she knew how to command men and influence people. The most famous historical event associated with her is probably her audience with Queen Elizabeth.

When her two sons (from her first marriage) and half-brother were captured by the English governor of Connacht, Sir Richard Bingham, Grace appealed to Queen Elizabeth directly for their release. For context, the English had been steadily encroaching on what had been self-governed Irish chieftains. Bingham, and by extension Elizabeth’s authority flew directly in the face of everything Grace O’Malley’s family stood for. With this in mind, Grace refused to bow to Elizabeth before negotiations and allegedly had a knife under her dress (for her protection) when she went to meet Elizabeth! Speaking to each other in Latin, they were able to charter a release on the agreement that Grace stop supporting Irish rebellions and Bingham would be removed. It’s unclear how long each of these agreements were abided by (Bingham came back), but it must have been a sight to see these two women, both powerful and rich in their own right, chatting across a tea table.

Otherwise, she was a general sea prowess, laying siege to the coasts from Scotland downwards, and adding to the wealth that she had by her father’s business, mother’s lands, and a thing or two from husband/ lovers along the way. As to my favorite legend about her, taken from wikipedia, the story goes as follows:

“During a trip from Dublin, O’Malley attempted to pay a courtesy visit to Howth Castle, home of Lord Howth. However, she was informed that the family was at dinner and the castle gates were closed against her. In retaliation, she abducted the Earl’s grandson and heir, Christopher St Lawrence, 10th Baron Howth. He was eventually released when a promise was given to keep the gates open to unexpected visitors and to set an extra place at every meal. Lord Howth gave her a ring as pledge on the agreement. The ring remains in the possession of a descendant of O’Malley and, at Howth Castle today, this agreement is still honoured by the Gaisford St. Lawrence family, descendants of the Baron.”

She could definitely sail, but more than that, she controlled a good deal of the coastline, levying more “taxes/ fees” on those who used the coast, at risk of murder… Either way, she has been represented as the embodiment of Ireland and called the Sea Queen of Connacht.

For more on actual women pirates, see Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Keep in mind, we know of them because they were the only two women convicted of piracy, so in actuality they may not have been the best pirates…

I do not own the rights to the banner image, which is the bronze statue of Grace O’Malley found at Westport House. Grace O’Malley was reportedly the 14th great-grandmother of the generation of sisters currently running the Westport House Estate.

Welcome to the newest installation of the Eccentric Glamour linkup, which basically serves as an excuse to dig out the crazy clothes that you felt too shy to wear to the grocery store. As George Bernard Shaw lamented in his epistolary dedication to Man and Superman, “Civilized society is one huge bourgeoisie: no nobleman dares now shock his greengrocer.” I can’t speak to modern day nobility, but I do like the occasion to try and dress like them. Then again, who am I kidding? Ostrich feathers a la 1970 say new money nearly as fast as an oversized yacht.

Speaking of yachts, with this photoset I’m kicking off a week of nautical posts. I’ll try to span the gambit on different style interpretations and throw in a few facts along the way. I’ve got more on Flagler (if you can stand anymore after this), and I think it’s high time that Wednesdays for Women come back. Additionally, I was thinking a Sunday brunch section where I finally get to gush on the Broadway musical number that is the current flavor of the week (currently obsessed with Melisande from 110 in the Shade– maybe due to the temperature?). Please speak up if that would be unbearable, but otherwise I’m going ahead…

If you’d like to regularly contribute, please take a moment to follow my blog (links can be found on the sidebar).

Please confine posts to those which showcase some spectacular article of clothing. It doesn’t have to be crazy, but just a bit in line with our theme of “Eccentric Glamour” (although choosing one half or the other of that mantra will also suffice). However, if you choose to post, please provide a link back to the Eccentric Glamour link-up somewhere in your post.

Try to check out a few other bloggers posts to build inspiration and community!

Hello Again! Summer for me has officially begun, and with it comes my return to the Sunshine State and the sea (*ahem* ocean). I’ve traded in flat anonymity for vitamin D, but forgot what running in this weather is like: salty suffocation. Hot yoga is retreating further down my “to do” list until I go back to a place air conditioning is optional. In the meantime, I’ve filled my time reading E.L. Doctorow’s Ragtime, and at the moment, I’m a bit enamored with everything Edwardian (or whatever Americans call the period from 1901-1915- is it the progressive era? Or did that really center around Wilson? Please feel free to comment). Now that my hair is long(er), expect white frocks and Gibson Girl simpers and fervor for the World’s Fair. This outfit doesn’t really encompass that look, but it is a good mix of of midwestern conservatism (reminiscent of Rodgers and Hammerstein) and vintage sea-going attire.

Thanks you to all of you who have stuck by me in my exam-induced absence. Don’t forget June 1st marks the next eccentric glamour link-up. I hope you’ll stop by and share your style!

Other things in the works include a (very unqualified) make-up discussion, subscription box review, discussion of my new favorite TV series (from Australia, no less!), and lots more. Let me know if you’re interested in anything in particular. I am officially back on the grid.

It’s finally warm enough to go without socks! To celebrate today I paid homage to Spring while still keeping with practical winter darks. Navy yellow and off-white. If the firm job fails, I’m joining the Navy y’all.

Today marks my first installation of “Visible Monday.” This blog-collaboration, started by Not Dead Yet Style began in opposition to the idea that as women grow older at some age they become “invisible.” Being in law school makes me feel so small and invisble. Well, that is until I get cold called, and wonder if my forehead looks as large as it feels, all while I’m supposed to be recalling the finer points of a case… VM also serves the dual purpose of letting you see the person behind the blog, rather than always hearing what I have to say (although I am unapologetically fond of the poorly lighted selfie). Being the egomaniac I am, I decided to join!

The only guideline is to “compose a post that includes any outfit, accessory, piece of jewelry, hairstyle, cosmetic or other adornment that makes you feel more confident, alive and visible that day.” Ladies and Gentleman, I’d like to introduce you to my Trollied Dolly dress.

Isn’t it a beaut? Every time I wear this dress I just feel so fun and fancy free. It’s 100% cotton, so when I walk around, I just feel clean like a crisp day in the mid-50s. Below is my dress on the wall, and featured in Look magazine!

So what is a Trollied Dolly, you ask (a bit belated)?

Well, I think they say it best:

I have yet to find a label on the market that manages to channel retro like these girls. With a splash of rouge and a cinched waist, they’ll have you looking like you swooned out of a 40’s movie in no time. And now’s your moment, Happy Visible Monday!